Peering into the crystal ball for 2026 high school sports predictions
It’s time to peer into my crystal ball to see what 2026 has in store for the Southland’s high school athletes (and a few former ones), coaches and fans:
JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, armed with passports from the United States, Israel and Australia, will soar so far past 7 feet in the high jump that national organizations from three different countries will fight to have him represent their team. …
Striker Pence, a sophomore pitcher at Corona Santiago with a 100-mph fastball, will receive an endorsement deal from a radar gun company. …
The UCLA-USC women’s basketball games will have so many celebrities and former players wanting to be seen that TMZ won’t need to pay for video. …
The high school soccer debut of incoming freshman Zoe Thompson, sister of Alyssa and Giselle, will be so big that Harvard-Westlake will need to give out red bibs to photographers to identify who’s real media. …
Norco junior shortstop Dylan Seward will hit for the cycle. …
Jaden Soong celebrates after winning the Southern California Golf Assn. Amateur Championship at Saticoy Club in Somis on July 11, 2024.
(SCGA)
St. Francis sophomore golfer Jaden Soong will win a second straight CIF championship, then have to answer the same question over and over, “When are you turning pro?” …
Gary Morse, a 6-foot-8 senior pitcher at Orange Lutheran, should be one of the best in the Southland in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Orange Lutheran 6-foot-8 senior pitcher Gary Morse will throw a no-hitter, then find a hoop and celebrate with a dunk. …
Sophomore catcher Jordan Lindsay (left) and sophomore pitcher Carlos Acuna will be key players for Birmingham in 2026.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
The Birmingham sophomore pitcher/catcher duo of Carlos Acuna and Jordan Lindsay will lead the Patriots to the City Section baseball title, then celebrate with a dogpile at Dodger Stadium in which the 6-2, 200-pound Lindsay protects Acuna from being suffocated at the bottom by teammates. …
Santa Margarita shortstop Brody Schumaker (left) and his father, Skip, the manager of the Texas Rangers.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker, who had eight bunt singles last season, will be asked by his father, Skip, the new manager of the Texas Rangers, to show off his bunting skills at spring training. …
Brian Prince of Cathedral will break 47 seconds in the 400 meters. …
Rickee Luevano of Sylmar and Xavier Allen of Carson will battle to be the home run champion in the City Section. …
Eastvale Roosevelt’s Aubrey McLaughlin, who won a gold medal playing for the Team USA U-18 softball team in the World Cup, will break out her new jewelry for a showdown game against Norco. …
All-City linebackers De’Andre Kirkpatrick of Crenshaw and Elyjah Staples of Marquez will become among the first City Section players to receive NIL deals. …
Cypress baseball coach John Weber will receive an NIL deal from a pencil company because he’s always walking around with a pencil tucked behind his ear. …
Corona Centennial’s All-CIF defensive back Jaden Walk-Green, who also starts in center field for the baseball team, will show so much promise snowboarding that he’ll decide to seek an Olympic Games berth in 2028. …
George Hastings of Agoura will try to play every position in a football game this season. …
There will be so many quarterbacks transferring that MaxPreps’ digital rosters will go down from too many clicks. …
PlayOn, which owns MaxPreps, GoFan and the NFHS Network, will go for a California prep sports monopoly by bidding for the CIF state playoffs contract that runs out in June. …
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Offensive lineman Elisha Mueller of Servite will record so many pancake blocks that IHOP will sign him to promote a week of all-you-can eat pancakes for anyone who weighs 280 pounds and up. . . .
A basketball official, tired of hearing a parent complain about his calls, will stop the game, give his whistle to the parent and dare him to take over. …
(Gene J. Puskar/AP)
Freshman Louis Lappe, known for his walk-off home run for El Segundo in the 2023 Little League World Series championship game, will hit a home run in his high school debut for Harvard-Westlake. …
Shohei Ohtani will be spotted working out at a high school baseball field, causing multiple helicopters to be dispatched to provide commentary like an L.A. car chase. …
USC will resolve any red-zone scoring deficiencies by installing freshman Trent Mosley at wildcat quarterback. …
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will be UCLA’s closer this season.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
Former Granada Hills pitcher Easton Hawk will become the long-sought standout closer to lead UCLA to the NCAA baseball title. …
With four Southern California players on its roster, led by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame grad Ella Parker, Oklahoma’s softball team will hold a beach day at practice to make sure its SoCal players are not feeling homesick. …
Freshman tight end Austin Miller of Bellflower will be the first to motivate new UCLA coach Bob Chesney to drop by campus for a personal introduction. …
Valencia sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister will be a breakout passing star. …
After nine consecutive years of Northern California teams losing in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl final, the CIF will agree to allow postseason transfers to De La Salle or San Mateo Serra so they can be competitive. …
Huntington Beach surfer Bailey Turner, shows her medals after returning from the ISA World Junior Surf Championships in Peru.
(Don Leach/Staff Photographer)
Bailey Turner of Huntington Beach, the ISA World Junior Surf Championhip winner, will continue her preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games by riding one big wave after another. …
After the Cleveland Browns’ Carson Schwesinger is named defensive rookie of the year, all the people who didn’t rate him highly at Oaks Christian during his high school days will use magic markers to update their star rankings.